People who work across Gloucestershire are being invited to give their views about volunteering in a bid to help local health, care, voluntary and community organisations understand how volunteering services in the county could be improved.

All year round, and particularly during these challenging times, many individuals and groups are playing a major role in helping to make life better for others and make Gloucestershire a better place to live.

However, statutory, voluntary and community organisations know they could work better with employers in the county to both increase the number of employers who are actively engaged in supporting volunteering within their local communities and the number of employees who volunteer.

NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group are therefore appealing to all employers and their staff to complete a short survey, which should take around ten minutes to complete.

There are two separate surveys: one is for employers (only one survey needs to be completed per organisation): https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/JC670N/ 

The second survey is for as many employees as possible to complete, regardless of whether or not they have done any volunteering through their organisation; employers are asked to share this survey as widely as possible with their staff: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WOMBOW/ 

Mary Hutton, One Gloucestershire ICS Lead and accountable officer at NHS Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "When we appealed for volunteers early in the COVID-19 pandemic, we were overwhelmed by the number of local people, businesses and employers who came forward. They have done some amazing work to help us and we are immensely grateful to each and every person who steps forward to offer their support, particularly during these difficult and uncertain times.

"Volunteers can support people and their communities in many ways, from helping frontline NHS and care workers in local hospitals, supporting people's wellbeing or health and care needs in their home or community, to supporting their community to be better connected, more active or feel safer.

However, we really want to understand how people, businesses and employers perceive volunteering in Gloucestershire. We want to learn what is important to them when they choose to volunteer so that our objective to create a lasting positive legacy for the benefit of every Gloucestershire resident is fully realised".

Matt Lennard, chief officer at Gloucestershire VCS Alliance, said: "We recognise the vital part that local employers and employees can, and do, play in supporting volunteering in their communities, none more so that during 2020.

We really want to learn more about how both employers and employees view work-supported volunteering opportunities so the experience best meets their needs as well as the needs of the individuals, organisations and causes they are supporting.

We fully recognise pressures that COVID-19 and the national lockdown bring to us all, but would really appreciate your help by simply taking a few minutes to complete the survey."